


The Calm Before The Storm

by KikiKierra



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Idiots, Pining, Seriously these two are the epitome of bisexual disasters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23585686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KikiKierra/pseuds/KikiKierra
Summary: Ellie's girls night with Jack gets extended when a storm stops her from driving home. Ellie's feelings for Jack make that all the more complicated.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	The Calm Before The Storm

Ellie sighed as she pulled up outside Jack’s apartment building. As the rain poured down outside she sat in the relative safety of her car for a few extra minutes trying to collect her thoughts and calm her nerves. She rolled her eyes, mentally berating herself for the way she felt - her schoolgirl crush on Jack had recently spiraled out of control into something so much more, and those feelings were making things more than a little difficult. _It’s not a date_ , she reminded herself, _just two friends hanging out_. Despite that she applied another coat of lipstick and a quick spray of perfume before finally getting out of the car. 

She knocked on Jack’s door but let herself in, not waiting for Jack to open it herself. “Hey,” Jack called from the kitchen. “Weather’s crazy,” Ellie muttered as she shrugged off her coat and hung it on the back of a chair. 

“Yeah, looks miserable,” Jack laughed. “Perfect evening for a movie,” she said, holding up the DVD.

Ellie grinned, “A romcom? Perfect, just what I need tonight,” she said, watching as Jack put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and poured two glasses of red wine. 

Within 10 minutes Ellie was curled up on the sofa, snuggled into a fluffy blanket with the bowl of popcorn in her lap (of course) and the glasses of wine and the rest of the bottle on the coffee table. 

“What? You don’t even have a DVD player?” Ellie teased as Jack put the DVD into her laptop and plugged the laptop into the TV, “Gibbs would have a fit”.

Jack shrugged, “I doubt Gibbs even has a DVD player, he probably still uses VHS”. Ellie laughed, conceding that Jack was probably right. 

Jack pressed play on the DVD and joined Ellie on the couch. “You gonna share that blanket?” Jack asked playfully. 

“Hmm,” Ellie pretended to think “I suppose so”. She rearranged herself allowing Jack to pull the blanket over herself. She was surprised when Jack pulled her in closer, the sudden contact making Ellie’s heart hammer in her chest. _Relax,_ she thought, _Jack’s touchy with everyone_. 

Relaxing proved to be easier said than done, as did focussing on the film. Ellie was captivated by Jack, every little move drew her attention. Everything from each time Jack pushed an unruly strand of hair behind her ear to the way her eyes crinkle when she laughs. Jack is stunning and yet seemingly unaware of the way all eyes land on her when she enters a room. And no one’s eyes more than Ellie’s. 

Ellie was jolted from her thoughts by a flash of lightning, immediately followed by a power cut plunging Jack’s apartment into darkness. “Damn storm, I was enjoying that,” Ellie muttered as if she had been watching the movie instead of sneaking glances and daydreaming about her companion. 

Jack laughed and extracted herself from the blanket, using the flashlight on her phone to navigate through the room, “never fear, I have a fully charged laptop” she said as she unplugged the laptop from the TV and set it down on the coffee table 

“Ah, so there are advantages of not having a DVD player,” Ellie grinned. 

“Indeed,” Jack nodded. She looked toward the window and frowned, “Hey do you wanna stay here tonight? It would be pretty dangerous to drive in that weather”.

“Yeah sure,” Ellie said, her voice remained nonchalant but inside she was filled with excitement at the thought of more time with Jack. _And spending the night, and getting to see Jack first thing in the morning, and having breakfast together, all domestic and couple-like_ . Ellie fought the urge to roll her eyes, frustrated at how quickly her mind ran away with her. _You’re in far too deep Bishop._

Jack grabbed another bottle of wine and filled their glasses muttering something about not driving being an excuse to drink more. Then she pressed play on the laptop and returned to her original position on the couch, pulling Ellie back into her arms. 

They stayed like that, watching the rest of the movie on the much smaller screen. When it was over Jack was the first to speak. “It’s late, we should go to bed, I’ll grab some spare pajamas you can borrow,” she said. 

“And another blanket for the couch,” Ellie added. 

“What? Don’t be silly,” Jack said “there’s enough room in my bed for two, you’ll be warmer there”.

Ellie’s heart raced, _this is a bad idea, a completely brilliant, wonderfully exciting, bad idea._ “Are you sure?” she asked “I don’t want to put you out”. 

“Nonsense, it’s just like a sleepover,” she shrugged.

Ellie laughed, “I never went to many of them … I wasn’t exactly popular in high school”.

“Their loss,” Jack reassured, giving Ellie’s hand a comforting squeeze. She disappeared into her bedroom and returned with pajamas and a new toothbrush for Ellie.

“Thanks,” Ellie took them and went into the bathroom to get ready. She quickly got changed and brushed her teeth. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and splashed some water on her face, desperately trying to pull herself together. 

When she made her way back into Jack’s bedroom any attempt at composure was abandoned at the sight of Jack in a red silk nightdress. Ellie knew she was staring but couldn’t quite bring herself to look away, Jack looked absolutely gorgeous. Ellie’s eyes roamed over Jack’s body, by the time her eyes returned to Jack's face Jack was smirking at her, eyebrows raised. Ellie blushed knowing she’d been caught, “you, uh, wear that often?” she muttered.

Jack shrugged “I like it,” she said, then added “you’ve got my most casual pajamas on”. Even those weren’t very casual, Ellie was wearing a white tank top and black satin booty shorts. 

“Oh … right,” Ellie said, sitting down on the bed as Jack headed for the bathroom. Ellie flopped back down on the bed and sighed, this was going to be a long night.

When Jack returned she got into bed beside Ellie (who had shifted so she was under the covers) then turned out the light. 

“So,” Ellie laughed “what does one usually do at a sleepover?”

“Oh, gossip usually, talk about crushes,” came the joking response. 

Her intention had been to make Jack laugh but upon hearing that answer Ellie decided to take advantage and press for information. “You mean crushes like the one you have on Gibbs right?” she teased. 

She briefly wondered if that had been a misstep when she heard Jack sigh. “I know that’s what everyone thinks, but I don’t like him like that”.

“Would you tell me if you did?” 

“Of course Ellie, you’re one of my best friends,” Jack answered without hesitation, turning onto her side to face Ellie, “I trust you”.

“I know that, I’m sorry,” Ellie said, suddenly guilty that she’d even questioned it. It’s just, she was so sure Jack liked Gibbs.

“Anyway, what about your crush on Nick?” Now it was Jack’s turn to tease and judging by the smirk on her face she was enjoying it. 

Ellie screwed up her face. “Ew Jack, no, he’s like a brother to me,” she said before firmly adding “an _annoying_ brother”. 

Jack broke into a grin, “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I just thought I’d ask”. 

Ellie fell silent for a moment before taking a breath and deciding to test the water, just a little bit. “Besides, I think I like girls”. Ellie took Jack’s raised eyebrows as a sign of disapproval and stumbled over the rest of her explanation. “Like, I like guys, but also girls, a lot”. 

“So you’re bi,” Jack said evenly. 

“Yeah”.

“With a preference for girls?”

“That sounds right,” Ellie said, relaxing slightly “Is that okay?”

“Of course it is! I’m bi too … I thought you knew”.

“What?!” Ellie exclaimed, “I mean no, sorry, I never realized”. Immediately Ellie’s imagination ran away with her. _Does this mean I have a chance? No. Of course not. Just because I’m a girl and she likes girls doesn’t mean she likes me…_

“So, have you ever actually been with a girl?” Jack's question brought Ellie back to the situation at hand.

“What? Oh, right, no. Not yet, uh, it’s just …” _I want you._ “It’s complicated”.

Ellie knew it was a weak excuse but it seemed to satisfy Jack. “Yeah, I understand that,” she said reassuringly. 

Ellie sighed, grateful that Jack didn’t push. Jack’s kindness wasn’t doing Ellie any favors, she could feel herself falling for Jack more and more. She let herself picture it, the dates, the kisses, the love. Everything. Eventually a combination of her thoughts, the dark, and the wine from earlier emboldened her. “Jack….” she said quietly. 

“Yeah…”

“What would you do if I kissed you right now?”

She heard Jack take a breath, but she didn’t speak. The silence lasted so long Ellie was afraid she’d crossed a line. She was just about to apologize when Jack answered her. “I’d kiss you back,” she said softly. 

_Oh, well, that was unexpected._ Ellie rolled over to face Jack. And when she saw no indication that Jack was making fun of her she kissed her gently. 

True to her word Jack deepened the kiss, her hand coming up to cup the back of Ellie’s neck, pulling her in. 

Ellie was left breathless when they finally broke apart. “Um, wow, thank you,” she murmured. _Really Bishop? Thank you? Could you be anymore awkward?_

“No problem,” Jack said, a hint of sadness in her voice so subtle Ellie missed it. 

Ellie replayed the kiss over in her mind until she eventually fell asleep. 

*** 

She awoke to the smell of coffee and an empty bed. As much as she wished she was waking up in Jack’s arms, this time alone gave her a chance to make a plan. She knew she had to talk to Jack, the previous night's kiss had only served to fuel her feelings, she couldn’t keep hiding them even if she wanted to. 

She got dressed then made her way out into the living area to find Jack making breakfast. 

“Hey…” Ellie said quietly. 

Jack looked up from the pancake mix she was currently spooning into a frying pan and smiled. “Morning”.

“So, about last night…”

Before Ellie could continue Jack cut her off with a shrug, “It’s fine, just blame it on the wine”.

 _Ouch._ “Is that what you want?”

“I don’t want things to change over a kiss,” Jack explained, avoiding making eye contact with Ellie.

“Oh, right … I should go,” Ellie said fighting back tears as she grabbed her coat and headed for the door.

Jack quickly turned the stove off and rushed to intercept Ellie. “Hey, no, that’s exactly what I was trying to avoid,” she said, standing in front of the door effectively trapping Ellie inside. 

“What’d you expect Jack?” Ellie sighed, throwing her arms out in frustration.

“I don’t know … I guess I just thought if I can't have you the way I want then I don’t want to lose our friendship”.

“The way you want? What do you mean?”

Jack sighed and let her head fall back against the door. “I like you, like a lot, and I know you don’t feel the same, and that it was just a kiss-”

“Jack,” Ellie said, grabbing her arm to get her attention “I _do_ like you, of course I do. That’s what I was trying to tell you. Did you think I was just kissing you cause it was convenient? Or to figure out if I really liked women?”

Jack bit her lip, refusing to meet Ellie’s eye.

“You did, didn’t you?” Ellie said quietly “Why?”

“It’s happened before…” Jack said softly “I was falling, she was experimenting, I know you’re not like that but it’s hard to shake that thought”. 

“I’m sorry, we should’ve talked _before_ I kissed you, I just freaked out a bit”.

Jack laughed, “God we’re idiots, what a mess”.

Ellie laughed too, nodding, “Yeah, we are”. She shook her head, “C’mon, let’s go and have breakfast,” she said, nodding in the direction of the kitchen “and maybe I could take you to dinner tonight?”

Jack smiled and nodded slowly, “Yeah, I’d like that”.   
  


**Author's Note:**

> These two are my new OTP ... trust me to get obsessed with a rarepair. I'll probably write more for them so if you like it or have any requests please let me know.


End file.
